Sign Solutions bring InterpretersLive! to the Isle of Man

PRESS RELEASE:-

We bring InterpretersLive! to the Isle of Man

We’re pleased to announce that we have won a contract to provide our services to the Isle of Man Government.

The win will see us provide our video relay service to the Isle of Man’s Department of Health and Social Care, with the possibility of other government departments taking up the service – including courts and education – at a later date.

Until this point, people on the island using sign language as their primary form of communication found attending hospital appointments difficult due to the communication barrier.

From April, the Isle of Man will have on-demand, internet-based video British Sign Language translation services available to all Deaf people attending hospital.

The video relay service will work by connecting Deaf patients to a fully qualified interpreter via an online video link, which can be accessed by desktop, tablet or smartphone. The interpreter will then relay the conversation between the hospital and Deaf patient.

Our CEO, Sean Nicholson, comments: “It’s no surprise that with 10 million people in the UK having some sort of hearing loss, a growing number of consumer-facing businesses and organisations are recognising the need to provide better access and communication for Deaf people.

“We’re seeing more and more sectors enquire about our services and this latest contract win is a significant step towards a more positive future for Deaf people. We hope that other governmental departments across the UK will follow suit.”

Stephen Griffiths, head of audiology at Noble’s Hospital in the Isle of Man, said: “Early last year, we identified that the lack of resident British Sign Language interpreters was a serious cause for concern in the Isle of Man and the time came to resolve this.

“Prior to adopting the Sign Solutions service, we would have to fly over interpreters at a huge expense to interpret, often for appointments of only five minutes of duration. Additionally, Deaf people attending hospital in an emergency had no interpretation facility at all.

“This new video relay service will completely transform the lives of Deaf people living in the Isle of Man and the implications of this development are far reaching.”

On Friday 24^th April, the Minister for Health and Social Care will attend a launch presentation at Noble’s Hospital in the Isle of Man introducing the service to stakeholders and the media.

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